If this is your first visit, please click the Sign Up now button to begin the process of creating your account so you can begin posting on our forums! The Sign Up
process will only take up about a minute of two of your time.

Problems with Earthquake 3.5

What is with these Redcats?
Ipurchased the Earthquake 3.5 b/c Ifound a good price on eBay (my mistake!). After purchasing Ithought that Iwould search around and see what mods people were doing to these things. And all I found was BAD reviews! Bad parts, bad drivers, a little of everything. So, the first thing Idid after break -in was change out the starter to electric and the spur gear to metal. After Imade the mods Iwas driving it on FLAT GROUND(street and my front yard; no jumps or anything crazy) for 15 MINUTES (running the sixth tank of fuel) and the left rear hub just melted and the bearing popped out! Also, the left front hub is now coming loose and I'm sure will break soon.
So, now what?I'm supposed to spend a extra $100 or so on the upgraded parts just so this thing MIGHT work?If these parts are so cheezy why didn't it come from the factory with the upgrades?I've read all the reviews on newbie drivers, young drivers, and abuse. But come on, seriously breaking a part on flat ground?Iwouldn't even attempt a jump with this POS .
Also, the parts numbers on the diagrams and parts lists do not all match. Ihave contact Redcat directly to see if they will help resolve these issues; but I am not holding my breath! Because after emailing them I read their warranty that basically states "this warranty covers nothing b/c our product is a POSfrom China; thanks for your money but FU!"

If you have insight on this issue please share it with me. Thanks in advance!

RE: Problems with Earthquake 3.5

Ican't say much about the 3.5 because I don't own one, but I have been shocked at how well my Earthquake 8E is holding up. Ilet a few friends drive it and they beat the living hell out of it(it was to much power for them, their only other experience was with toy grade R/Cs) and everything held up fine.

Oh and my Son's Caldera 10E (He is 6 btw) has been rock solid for a year now besides a servo issue that Redcat took care of right away.

Honestly I couldn't be happier with my Redcat's.

My Traxxas Mini E-Revo has had more problems than both of them, but Ifinally have upgraded all the kinks out of that and it has been solid too.

RE: Problems with Earthquake 3.5

Yeah Idon't get it. You watch all the marketing videos on youtube and you would think these are good trucks; although they may not be namebrand. What stinks is that the problems posted online are all the same; so you would think that the company would address them and even offer some solutions other than try and sell you an "upgrade"for 10x the price of the stock part. And by the way all anyone wants to do is drive their trucks and not be mechanics. A break here and there is to be expected from time to time. But from what Ihave seen these things break constantly.

RE: Problems with Earthquake 3.5

All I can add is for you to contact Redcat and explain the issues you are having; you should have done this instead of immediately bashing them and their products.
If they are as bad as you mentioned then no one would be buying them and there are many Redcat owners that are happy with their rc's and I am one of them.
Contact Redcat and I am pretty sure they will help you out even after you bashed them and after you are taken care of go over everything on your rc and upgrade or modify anything else that needs to be upgraded to prevent future problems from happening.
That's all I can suggest.

RE: Problems with Earthquake 3.5

My opinion is unbiased; Iam only complaining about the facts at hand. If the product was good Iwould posts good reviews. And having to buy extra parts from the start just to give the RC some quality is wrong in my opinion. It's okay to sell upgrades for your products, but it should not be mandatory just to keep it running. I work hard for my money and when Ifeel ripped off I'm going to complain. And Iam not the first; as Iposted before most of the reviews Ihave found are bad.

ORIGINAL: basketballfan60123

All I can add is for you to contact Redcat and explain the issues you are having; you should have done this instead of immediately bashing them and their products.
If they are as bad as you mentioned then no one would be buying them and there are many Redcat owners that are happy with their rc's and I am one of them.
Contact Redcat and I am pretty sure they will help you out even after you bashed them and after you are taken care of go over everything on your rc and upgrade or modify anything else that needs to be upgraded to prevent future problems from happening.
That's all I can suggest.

RE: Problems with Earthquake 3.5

i've taken my earthquake 8e out twice since i bought it, it has beoken both times. i'm still keeping the faith though..... i've found it theraputic working on the broken parts. how's that for glass half full?!?

RE: Problems with Earthquake 3.5

I like mine. Yes it is a little weak in spots. It is an entry level 1/8 scale truck at an entry level price. I jump mine, run into things and climb pretty much anything I can find. I have broke a few parts and bent the steering but all at my own fault. If Redcat upgraded everything then it would cost as much as there professional 1/8 scale trucks.

RE: Problems with Earthquake 3.5

Well if this is an entry level POSthats going to keep breaking unless Ikeep pouring money into it; then Iwould be better off selling it. I would rather invest my money in a quality RC reguardless of price. If any one is interested in buying this truck I'll entertain an offer.
Truck has 6 tanks ran. Electric start & metal spur gear installed. Has broken left rear hub that needs replacement. Make an offer. Or I'll post it in the classifieds.

RE: Problems with Earthquake 3.5

ORIGINAL: TXdrivER

Well if this is an entry level POSΒ*thats going to keep breaking unless IΒ*keep pouring money into it; then IΒ*would be better off selling it. I would rather invest my money in a quality RC reguardless of price. If any one is interested in buying this truck I'll entertain an offer.
Truck has 6 tanks ran. Electric start & metal spur gear installed. Has broken left rear hub that needs replacement. Make an offer. Or I'll post it in the classifieds.

You will be pouring money into any rc regardless of the brand and parts are gonna break or wear out in time; for example I paid $600 for my HPI Savage Flux and after about 8 runs the brushless motor pinion gear is already shown signs of wear and so is the main drive gear and it is properly meshed and on a bad landing I broke the front suspension arms so I have invested another $100 or more on upgrades.
Is this your first rc?
Another guy on this forum mentioned that it's always the people that are new to the hobby that give the entry level brands like Redcat a bad review.
I was one of those people at one time until I gained some knowledge; like I have mentioned before these things are money pits and it does not matter what brand you buy you are always gonna be putting money into them regardless it's the nature of the hobby and I enjoy spending money on my kits every time they break .
If you ask another Redcat hater out there of course they are gonna say they suck and that you should go and buy a Traxxas, Team Associated, Losi, or Hpi product because they are so much better made; I own 2 HPI, 2 Traxxas, and 1 Redcat rc and I break parts and parts wear out on all of them no kit is better than the other appearance wise they ( the popular brands) may look better made but from my experience they break or break down just as much as the Redcat I own.

RE: Problems with Earthquake 3.5

To answer your question. This is my first nitro rc but not my first rc ever. Iunderstand that fixing broken parts from time to time is normal. However, Iam 30 not 12, I am also not retarded and a machinist by trade. I know garbage when Isee it. At the moment this truck has ran me $300 for 15 mins of fun, that works out to $1200 an hour. If buying a $600 Traxxas or whatever will give me a day or two of use before Ihave to fix something than it would be cheaper that this POS. Am i wrong?

ORIGINAL: basketballfan60123

ORIGINAL: TXdrivER

Well if this is an entry level POSthats going to keep breaking unless Ikeep pouring money into it; then Iwould be better off selling it. I would rather invest my money in a quality RC reguardless of price. If any one is interested in buying this truck I'll entertain an offer.
Truck has 6 tanks ran. Electric start & metal spur gear installed. Has broken left rear hub that needs replacement. Make an offer. Or I'll post it in the classifieds.

You will be pouring money into any rc regardless of the brand and parts are gonna break or wear out in time; for example I paid $600 for my HPI Savage Flux and after about 8 runs the brushless motor pinion gear is already shown signs of wear and so is the main drive gear and it is properly meshed and on a bad landing I broke the front suspension arms so I have invested another $100 or more on upgrades.
Is this your first rc?
Another guy on this forum mentioned that it's always the people that are new to the hobby that give the entry level brands like Redcat a bad review.
I was one of those people at one time until I gained some knowledge; like I have mentioned before these things are money pits and it does not matter what brand you buy you are always gonna be putting money into them regardless it's the nature of the hobby and I enjoy spending money on my kits every time they break .
If you ask another Redcat hater out there of course they are gonna say they suck and that you should go and buy a Traxxas, Team Associated, Losi, or Hpi product because they are so much better made; I own 2 HPI, 2 Traxxas, and 1 Redcat rc and I break parts and parts wear out on all of them no kit is better than the other appearance wise they ( the popular brands) may look better made but from my experience they break or break down just as much as the Redcat I own.

RE: Problems with Earthquake 3.5

All the ranting and frustration I spewed here was completely uncalled for so....... I have edited each post I made here and deleted it, I dont want anyone and especially any noob's coming on here and seeing a bunch of negative garbage like I had put down, it was unfair and stupid on my part and no one will ever see this kinda thing from me here ever again and in my opinion the people who insist on going completely over the top just need to find another hobbie or go and get that other brand and not try to start a bunch of meaningless trouble.

I'm done with this and have a clear head on these points made now...............Peace

Welfare to the able bodied is like giving shelled nuts to a squirrel, he gets lazy & soon looses will to provide for himself!

RE: Problems with Earthquake 3.5

1ofmyfuns,
Dude Itotally agree with your opinion. The other thing that really annoys me about this purchase other than the poor quality is the marketing scam these people have or atleast support on youtube. The youtube videos are what originally sold me on this truck. The youtube videos or MISLEADING!The unit you buy cannot be made of the same quality as the ones in the videos. This is this kinds diception that really misses me off! Why can't people just be honest about the products they market? Icontacted these people today and was told that fixing my truck was part of the "hobby". This maybe true, but Ionly want it to be 10% of my hobby not 90%. If I wanted to be a mechanic as a hobby I'd be restoring old cars. I will never buy a Redcat ever again.

ORIGINAL: 1ofmyfuns

Well, I'll make this short as possible but I can understand several of the opinions I've sen on this thread.

I have a RedcatBackdraft 3.5 and I have spent more time fixing it than I have running it so far so I know the frustration here very well, I have not given up On my Backdraft Buggy yet, but I have to say that the Losi, Traxxas, HPI, Team Associated stuff can have problems as can anything mechanical as we all know, but to compare Redcat products to these other brands in quality is like comparing apples and oranges IMO, my backdraft never made much past an idle before the diff piniongear snapped in half, and then the first time I hopped it over some little 8" tall bumps the spur gear gave it up, and now the other day I was just running it around in the back yeard and the lower screws in the Knuckle Arms bent and sheared off in the Knuckle, as much as I would like to think my buggy is great quality........

The obvious constant breakage proves otherwise, this buggy would not make it around a 1000' race track more thantwo or three times before it would be sitting on the table with something busted, some of these other brands take loads of abuse with out constant breakage and mine has had no hard abuse with constant breakage.

Redcat to their credit does offer great customer service but they have toor they would be out of business in 6 months because there product have so many issues, I'm not bashing here though it may seem that way, I'm just stating the obvious from what I have experienced so far and what I see MANY other s experiencing as well.

DO ALL RC'S BREAK YES.........DO ALL RC'S BREAK AND HAVE AS MANY ISSUES AS THESE REDCAT VEHICLES NO...........!

I have a semi local hobby shop about 50 mile sfrom me and atlking to him Saturday he told me that he has had many very unsatisfied customers come in with there internet bought Redcat vehicles.

I hope no one takes any of this personal, but these Redcat Vehicles need to be upgarded in there obviousweak areasat the factory, the Youtube videos lead people to believe they are getting a super durable vehicle and they're not getting what they think they are, they're getting a Project RC............( Ready To Repairnot a Ready To Run )

When a RCtruck runs down the street and breaks it would have done it with a Pro just as with a novice "newbie" pro verses newbie thing is bunk..... when it comes to most of the issues people are having.

Peace

ORIGINAL: TXdrivER

To answer your question. This is my first nitro rc but not my first rc ever. Iunderstand that fixing broken parts from time to time is normal. However, Iam 30 not 12, I am also not retarded and a machinist by trade. I know garbage when Isee it. At the moment this truck has ran me $300 for 15 mins of fun, that works out to $1200 an hour. If buying a $600 Traxxas or whatever will give me a day or two of use before Ihave to fix something than it would be cheaper that this POS. Am i wrong?

ORIGINAL: basketballfan60123

ORIGINAL: TXdrivER

Well if this is an entry level POSthats going to keep breaking unless Ikeep pouring money into it; then Iwould be better off selling it. I would rather invest my money in a quality RC reguardless of price. If any one is interested in buying this truck I'll entertain an offer.
Truck has 6 tanks ran. Electric start & metal spur gear installed. Has broken left rear hub that needs replacement. Make an offer. Or I'll post it in the classifieds.

You will be pouring money into any rc regardless of the brand and parts are gonna break or wear out in time; for example I paid $600 for my HPI Savage Flux and after about 8 runs the brushless motor pinion gear is already shown signs of wear and so is the main drive gear and it is properly meshed and on a bad landing I broke the front suspension arms so I have invested another $100 or more on upgrades.
Is this your first rc?
Another guy on this forum mentioned that it's always the people that are new to the hobby that give the entry level brands like Redcat a bad review.
I was one of those people at one time until I gained some knowledge; like I have mentioned before these things are money pits and it does not matter what brand you buy you are always gonna be putting money into them regardless it's the nature of the hobby and I enjoy spending money on my kits every time they break .
If you ask another Redcat hater out there of course they are gonna say they suck and that you should go and buy a Traxxas, Team Associated, Losi, or Hpi product because they are so much better made; I own 2 HPI, 2 Traxxas, and 1 Redcat rc and I break parts and parts wear out on all of them no kit is better than the other appearance wise they ( the popular brands) may look better made but from my experience they break or break down just as much as the Redcat I own.

RE: Problems with Earthquake 3.5

man all I've been reading on here lately is people having all these problems with recently purchased redcats. I guess I've been lucky with mine no real problems with mine....mine were all normal wear and tear. My EQ 3.5 runs great and my Ground Pounder has been solid except for the front axle housings breaking twice.

RE: Problems with Earthquake 3.5

My rockslide and backdraft 8e have been solid. Hell ive beaten the hell out of them indoors and out. Had my rock clawer fall from a 8 foot distance to the ground, popped the servo horn and that was it. The backdraft i ve been running in the basement with tape on the tires sliding it around the basement bashing it off the walls solid there also. Dont know might been a bad run of plastics or something.

RE: Problems with Earthquake 3.5

My EQ 3.5 is a solid also runs great altho i have bashed it hard the only thing i have bent or broken are dog bones and a few screws on the front C hubs but thats due to bashing hard , ive never broken a platic part yet , i just got into the Rc hobby 3 months just before the winter hit and ive ran id say 4 to 5 gallons of gas thru it already , and yes ive done upgrades to it like a new body metal shocks new tires and wheels and a high down force wing . Im just the type that i dont settle for a stock look lol.

RE: Problems with Earthquake 3.5

All the ranting and frustration I spewed here was completely uncalled for so....... I have edited each post I made here and deleted it, I dont want anyone and especially any noob's coming on here and seeing a bunch of negative garbage like I had put down, it was unfair and stupid on my part and no one will ever see this kinda thing from me here ever again and in my opinion the people who insist on going completely over the top just need to find another hobbie or go and get that other brand and not try to start a bunch of meaningless trouble.

I'm done with this and have a clear head on these points made now...............Peace

Welfare to the able bodied is like giving shelled nuts to a squirrel, he gets lazy & soon looses will to provide for himself!

RE: Problems with Earthquake 3.5

I think if they are having that many issues with their rc's then they should handle it with the Redcat company instead of starting a thread of how much of a POS they are and that they will never ever buy them again.
If I am dealer trying to make living selling these Redcat rc's and somebody comes into this rc forum just to bash them I am gonna be pissed off because in a way that is gonna effect my sales if you think about it.
It just shows you how coldhearted people are nowadays; I think if you don't like something then you should just move on and get something that you think is better instead of making such a big scene.

RE: Problems with Earthquake 3.5

ORIGINAL: 1ofmyfuns

Glad to hear that someone has had good luck with their vehicle, I have every intention on getting my Backdraft 3.5 to the point that it will actually stand some lite abuse without something breaking, the thing is that some of the parts on these things are very good and very durable but then again there are others that seem to cause much more trouble for many people like gears and knuckle arms, chasis partsΒ*and such, if Redcat would just address theseΒ*few things theseΒ*vehicles would actually be pretty darn bullet proof.

I think the main reason it's almost impossible for Redcat to make these upgrades from the factory is because they don't actually make any of them, they are all designed and manufactured by BSD........ ect. over in china, they just basically get a different body.

The other major name brands can retool and make what ever changes they choose because they actually design the vehicles they put their name on to begin with, many things we buy are crap shoots, but some are more so than others.

Why doesn't redact have alishanmao do some upgrade tutorials on YouTubeΒ*showing us customers and the potential customers how to upgradeΒ*the parts that are most prone to break and / or wear out easily and explain that in order to have a much more reliable vehicle these upgrades are a good idea after purchasing a RedcatΒ*vehicle at the lower pricesΒ*compared toΒ*the Major name brands.Β*

I like my Backdraft 3.5 and will get it where I want it, just a little more money and tinkering and I think I'll get it, and if not soemone else can take over where I leave off and I'll move on the bigger and better things...

Peace

That's why you do extensive research before purchasing an rc I never did when I first got into the hobby but now I know and now I do and actually no rc companies give you a heads up on what needs to be upgraded that you have to figure out on your own or start a topic on the rc forum what upgrades everyone would recommend.
Everyone who is into the hobby has gone through what you are going through and until you gain some experience (and I am not saying you do not have any experience) you will get better at.
What I have figured out about this hobby is that you have to have the desire and patience and understand that things will not always go your way all the time and you will be wrenching on these things a lot because it's part of the hobby.

RE: Problems with Earthquake 3.5

All the ranting and frustration I spewed here was completely uncalled for so....... I have edited each post I made here and deleted it, I dont want anyone and especially any noob's coming on here and seeing a bunch of negative garbage like I had put down, it was unfair and stupid on my part and no one will ever see this kinda thing from me here ever again and in my opinion the people who insist on going completely over the top just need to find another hobbie or go and get that other brand and not try to start a bunch of meaningless trouble.

I'm done with this and have a clear head on these points made now...............Peace

Welfare to the able bodied is like giving shelled nuts to a squirrel, he gets lazy & soon looses will to provide for himself!

RE: Problems with Earthquake 3.5

Not questioning what you know dude; I mean I am just an aspiring chef who is not a mechanical engineer and honestly I do not care how much experience you have or what you know.
In fact forget any help I am offering to you; all I am saying is that I am not a mechanical engineer and I have had no where near as many problems that you have had with your redcat my redcat rc's that I have or have owned worked fine and they did not break any less or any more than the other brands that I own.

If you are not happy with your redcat then sell it and buy a better brand.

RE: Problems with Earthquake 3.5

I think the hug thing is really really overdue!! LOL.
I will say I bought Redcat EQ3.0 cuz they were the cheapest 1/8 truck anywhere period. I got what I paid for and maybe a little more. The immediate problems where addressed within a week by Redcat direct once properly communicated. The weak spots where identified by me within the first gallon of fuel and I found 2 courses of action... buy some spare $2 plastic parts or some spare $30 aluminum parts. I've gone with mostly plastic and am trying a few aluminum but after 1 full year still don't have $350 invested.

As far as the pro brands, They are awesome!! Losi, Associated, HPI all have some awesome equipment for sale in the $500-700 price range and I can tell you they definately are stronger in every aspect.However, my LHS has a whole wall of Traxxas,Associated, Losi, and HPI parts, so somebody is breaking those too. This hobby is pretty similar to any.You get what you pay for, no matter how cool the you-tubevideo looks. Good luck and join a club if you can.You'll gain so much from thelocal experts and it's a blast enjoying a sunny Saturday smelling Nitro and fresh dirt!!!